Simi Valley campuses start school year with technology changes

JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Students from Hillside Middle School in Simi Valley walk to their classrooms on the first day of school Monday.

JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Parker Meintzer (right) helps his sister, Perri, prepare her books Monday, the first day of school at Hillside Middle School in Simi Valley.

JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Hillside Middle School seventh-grader Mishal Hafiz (right) and some of her fellow students look for their names and classroom numbers on the first day of school Monday.

JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Many parents accompanied the children to their classrooms at Hillside Middle School on Monday, the first day of school. About 720 students are enrolled at the Simi Valley school this year.

Patti Myszkowski is in love.

The object of this Hillside Middle School assistant principal's affection is 7 inches wide by 9 inches tall and rests flat in her hands.

With her personal iPad, Myszkowski can key in the name of any of her 715 students anywhere on the Simi Valley campus and immediately tell them in which classroom they should be at that moment.

"And it even has an app!" she said. "I love it — love it! It's really fast."

For an educator on the first day of school, being unchained from a desktop computer in an office represents power and security — benefits shared by many other teachers and administrators Monday in the Simi Valley Unified School District.

With a huge push over the summer to upgrade technology districtwide, all middle and high schools and most of the elementary schools now have updated Wi-Fi.

Every school also is working with a new student information system, Aeries, which is what Myszkowski used to track down class assignments for her wandering students.

The switch to Aeries caused some confusion last week as schools prepped for the new year, said Hillside Principal Laura Wellington. As a result, students received their schedules during first period Monday morning instead of last week.

Still, the traditional first day of school chaos seemed no crazier than usual on the campus as school staff members, armed with walkie-talkies and some tablets, stood ready to help.

"It takes time to get all of the glitches worked out," Wellington said.

The technology changes at the district resemble those at campuses throughout California this year and next. With the 2014 implementation of the Common Core Standards, technology will be integrated into the classrooms for the instruction and assessment of students.

This year, 41 teachers at Simi Valley Unified will receive tablets for classroom instruction as part of a pilot program.

Two Hillside math teachers were chosen for the program, though they might have to wait a few more weeks for the tablets to be distributed, said Ron Todo, assistant superintendent of educational services.

"There are so many little things we have to have in line," he said.

Delays aside, everyone involved seems excited about the program.

Math teacher Stacy Feinbloom introduced her seventh-grade pre-algebra students to the new technology expectations. As a teacher in the pilot program, she told her students that tablets were on the way.

"With them, you'll be able to come into class, watch the video and do the lesson," she said. "This is not going to be you sitting here taking notes this year. ... Hopefully, for those of you who don't love math, you will this year. I want you to love math!"

She also told her 33 students that if their cellphones have calculators, the phones would be welcome in class, as long as they were turned off from incoming calls and used only for math lessons.

"Those of you without cellphones: Do not go home and say that Mrs. Feinbloom says you need a cellphone. You do not," she said.

The district began allowing students to bring cellphones, e-readers and tablets to school about halfway through last year. This year, students are being encouraged to bring their electronics to integrate them into lessons.

"We're loosening up the policy — not just us, but across the nation," Wellington said. "If we're not teaching 21st-century lessons through 21st-century tools, we're not doing our jobs."